The Steel Guitar Forum

Me to, 12 String Fessender

I only string up 11 but count me in.

Fender 400 in the mid 60s to S12 ext E9.tried uni tuning but didn't have the patience to pursue it. CLR S12, MSA S12.

BF

Just getting back into it at the ripe old age of 62. Found this forum during my early research, and that has truly been a God send. Decided to go for a 12'er because I'm a rocker at heart and thought I just might want some of those lower notes at some point in time. Recently did a trade for a Simmons U12 7+5, still deciding how I really want to set it up. E9/B6 Universal or Robert Randolph / Sacred Steel, it's all such a brain bruiser sometimes.

So for now, yes, I have a 12 string. As for actually playing it ?......not quite yet, but I'm determined, and just plain stubborn enough to get there someday.

Sierra U12 from '80 to '89, then a Dekley till the late '90's, then a break from PSG. Considered a D10 in 2006, but bought the Carter U12 I currently play.
Next guitar will certainly be another U12,keyless, either a Williams or an Excel Superb if I can find one.
Cheers, CR.

After being away from music (other than listening) for many years, I found a good buy on a sd 12 ext e9 and thought I would try it. I did not like it at all, so I bought a d-10. I will sell the sd-12 as soon as I find another d-10 I like.

Gary

I went from a double 8 fender to a single 12 Bb6 MSA and have never looked back. Curently I have three 12 string Bb6 MSA's. Two of them are Classics and the other is an MSA Millineum.
Thanks to MSA, Reece Anderson.

Larry Bell wrote:I would be playing a 12 string LeGrande III to this day but there just AIN'T NO SUCH THING.

I just went through b0b's vendor links. These don't appear to offer 12 strings on their websites
(my apologies if this info is incorrect)I have a ShowPro 12 string and don't believe Jeff is really offering one any more. Some builders just don't choose to offer a 12 string for one reason or the other -- usually financial.....

On the positive side, there are several mfgrs who have always been '12 string friendly'.

I've never had a hard time finding one to buy when I'm in the market, but it is important to point out that not all brands offer 12 strings.

Larry you made many good points. You are quite correct about several web sites not listing the 12 and 14 string models. Some simply do not make them others simply do not promote them. The last time I contacted Williams they said they would be happy to build me a U14 (but that they do not plan to list that option on the web site). David Phillips speaks well of his new U14 Williams.

When the MSA Millenium was released I asked Reece when a 14 string model would be available and he responded (I am paraphrasing here) that the estimated ROI for tooling to build a 14 meant that they would not be building any Millenium 14's; however a 12 string would be available "soon."

The 12 String Poll indicates a substantial portion of responders intend to get a "NEW" 12 string within 5 years. It is not clear to me whether all the yes's were thinking brand-new or merely new-to-them. But either way the interest in 12's is out there.

I believe that have sat down at a variety of Emmons 12 strings over the years but I have no idea which models they were or what distinguishes the Legrand III (not a 12 you say) from their other models. I am sure that the Legrand 3 is a much newer and less primitive guitar than my old Emmons.

Well, Eugene, I can tell you for a fact that if it was an Emmons 12 string it was the original push-pull design. I still have one and play gigs on mine often. They made D12s, S12s, and S/D12s. The LeGrande models (all pull changer) have never included a 12 string offering.

The ROI issue is a serious problem for a builder who is not seeing much profit from each guitar. New keyheads and endplates are expensive to retool and if it's a 'one off' guitar it's just not going to be profitable. On a loaded U12, for example, my setup includes more than 40 pulls on one neck. Most builders are challenged by that one. Not many E9 players have more than 15 or 20 pulls -- Lloyd Green only uses 11 pulls on his guitar. An extended E9 guitar is much easier to build than a U12, especially for builders who haven't done a U12 before.

Just my take on it.

1-S-12 Ext E9th Emmons PP - 3/4
1-S-12 Ext E9th Mullen - 4/5
1-SD-12 Ext E9th MSA/Legend - 5/5
JE:-)>

count me in. A D12 (MSA) and three U12's. Main guitar is a Sierra keyless with 9/7.

As a newbie, Universal is interesting as it's versatile and space-saving.

I would think there is a market there, but is anyone going to go to the trouble to make a U12 starter which could be even less profitable. Looks like pre-loved and then new is the way into ownership.

I was chatting with Bruce Zumsteg, toying with the idea of selling one of my U-12 Zums. He made the disquieting remark that he wasn't making them much anymore...

Whether from lack of demand or some other reason I don't know, but mine are the most wonderfully engineered and uniformly exceptional instruments i've played.

Bruce doesn't make many because, at least as of 20 years ago (in the words of the Dead, , woah oh what I want to know, where does the time go?) he doesn't like building them, and encouraged me to get the D-10 instead. ISTR he said that it'd run the same price.
Given my bizarre setup, a U-12 would be a pain anyway.

He talked me out of a U-12 and I'm glad I listened.